Lot 19
Jim E. Ritchie (1929-2017)

Lot 19 Details
Jim E. Ritchie (1929-2017), Canadian
COMPOSITION
Silver patinated bronze; signed "Ritchie" and numbered 3/6, with obsidian base (unattached; sculpture can be presented in any position)
Including base 4.5 ins x 5 ins x 3.1 ins; 11.4 cms x 12.7 cms x 7.9 cms
Estimate $300-$500
Additional Images

Provenance:
Jean-Pierre Valentin Gallery, Montreal;
Private Collection, Montreal
Exhibited:
A sculpture from this edition was exhibited at Jean-Pierre Valentin Gallery, Montreal in the group show "Sculptures," November 05, 2020 to December 18, 2020.
Note:
Born in Montreal, Ritchie would spend the majority of his life in Provence, in the town of Vence. Vence has long attracted the artistic set, including Chagall, Matisse, Dufy, Dubuffet and D.H. Lawrence, who died there. Ritchie spent his career sculpting in Vence, though preferred to travel to the Tuscan town of Pietrasanta to produce his bronzes. Ritchie’s work was exhibited internationally, though perhaps the artist is best known for the Cubist figure of a young woman, La Vençoise, that stands in the centre of the town he loved.
The palm-sized sculpture pictured here was cast in silver, an aberration from Ritchie’s more typical mediums of bronze and marble. The artist stopped directly carving marble in the 1980s, preferring to work with wax maquettes which he would then enlarge before casting into bronze. His use of a precious metal here suggests that either this tiny sculpture was the end goal in and of itself, or that it was cast to commemorate a particularly momentous larger commission. Regardless, collectors will be sure to appreciate this pocket-sized piece.
CONDITION DETAILS
This lot is in good overall condition There are casting bubbles which are inherent in the process and absolutely not from neglect; the fine cracks are actually striations on the surface in the casting. Would benefit from a cleaning.
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